WISN-TV (Channel 12) won three of four major news rating time periods in the just-ended May sweeps ratings period among total households. The results were announced Thursday.

The critical barometer of local ratings success is the 10 p.m. newscast, which WISN won handily with an 8.9 rating, ahead of second-place WTMJ-TV (Channel 4), which had a 6 rating. It is the second consecutive sweeps win in the time period by WISN. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Article

While most film franchises sink as the number of their entries rises, "Fast and the Furious" keeps cruising along with no finish line in sight.

Picking up a few months after the events depicted in the 2011 hit "Fast Five" — arguably the best entry in the franchise — "Fast & Furious 6" wastes no time getting back in the race. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Article

Starting Monday, Weigel Broadcasting will introduce a digitally over the air classic movies channel on WMLW-TV (Channel 49.3) and nationally on Fox owned and operated stations, it was announced Thursday.

The channel called MOVIES! is a partnership between the Chicago-based Weigel chain and Fox Television Stations. The channel will reach over 40% of US TV homes when launched, said Neal Sabin, president of content and networks for Weigel. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Blog Post(1)

NIGHT LIFE

ACOUSTIC

Sitting in a recording studio in Oak Creek, Kevin Sucher is considering the very first single for his new label, Truth Records.

He plays "If You Ain't Got Love," a slick, mid-tempo ballad about priceless romance. Pop track "Carry Her" picks up with a little bit of piano, then slides into some colorful rhythms. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Article

'Ryan' reports for duty

With "Saving Private Ryan," Steven Spielberg got about as close to capturing the tumult of warfare as anyone ever has on the screen. But the Oscar-winning 1998 movie is also a story of sacrifice — and what that sacrifice cost those of us who inherited it. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Article

The HobNob has been at its location in Racine, overlooking Lake Michigan, since 1954.

The only way to take a photo of the front of Ishnala supper club in Wisconsin Dells, it turns out, is by boat on Mirror Lake.

So that's how documentary filmmaker and now author Ron Faiola found himself cajoling a boat-rental company to open for him. He rented a pontoon boat for $80 and headed out on the lake alone, maneuvering both the boat and his camera gear while a stiff wind blew. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Article(17)

There's trouble in paradise. That wacky Bloody Mary we reported earlier this month is on hold.

The $5 Bloody, topped with fixings from a slider to cheese curds and a Brewers flag, was served the first Sunday of every month O'Davey's Irish Pub & Restaurant in Fond du Lac. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Article

Improvements are in the works at the popular Estabrook Beer Garden, and they’re expected to make service speedier and the surroundings more comfortable.

The operator, the owner of the Old German Beer Hall on N. Old World 3rd St., is making a $125,000 upgrade to the site, north of E. Capitol Drive; the improvements become property of Milwaukee County, which owns the park. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

Zac Brown Band's sound has always been hard to pin down. Generally tagged as a country act, the Georgia-based band draws off of the talents of each of their seven members to create an amalgam of bluegrass, southern rock, jam-infused jazz and Caribbean rhythms - often across the tracks of one album. It's been a winning mix for the group that is now playing some of the biggest venues in the country, including a June 8 gig at Alpine Valley in East Troy. (Tickets are still available here.)

"Jump Right In," the third single from last year's "Uncaged," follows the sun-kissed vibe. The new video that premiered this week finds the band landing on a palm tree-lined white sand beach in Islamorada, Fla. for a day of fun and revelry. After you watch the video below, you can see a bit of the behind the scenes fun from the making of the video here. | May 23, 2013»Read Full Blog Post